Hollow building unit



Jim 21 Filed March 10, 1926 Patented June 21, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

V GEORGE 1). mean, or omen crr'Y, omens.

HOLLOW surname UNIT.

- Application filed larch 10, 1928, Serial Ho. 83,699.

My present invention is an improved form of .fracturable hollow building unit of the general type shown and described in "my =prior Patent No. 1,495,439, dated May 27 1924, and of my prior and copending application SenNo. 674,289, filed November 12,

1923. Other forms of my novel tiles or building unitsare shown in my co-pending double walls on the line of the outer small voids applications Serial No. 89,621 filed February 20, 1926, Serial No. 90,642 filed February 25, 1926, and Serial No. 93,698 filed March 'In my development of fracturable hollow building units formed of suitable clay and in a. die machine, I have developed ajplurality of forms, all utilizing the features of interior pairsof cros's-webs,'facilitating lines of fracture between said pairs of interior cross-webs, so that each resultant sub-division broken from the original unit, will itself be a complete usable unit in the resultant wall structure. Important features in the present form consist in the provision of ,a design of block more easily fracturable with practically equal points of weakness to facilitate fracturing, together with increased strength at certain of the points of fracture, particularly on the interior lines of the cross-webs and spaces, together with doublewebs or walls throughout both sides v of the outer faces of each corner or uarter' section, and preferabl also, where esired, ace as well as the lines of the inner faces formed by fracturing or breaking the brick into sub-divisions.

In addition to these features I have devised a novel and improved form of block which enables the formation 'on the complete block of an entire set of smooth, predetermined corners' capable of enabling the sub-divided section to be used interchangeably with either the normal outer wall face of the block or one of the inner wall faces of a sub-division as the finished exposed portion in the completed wall. This feature is of special'importance and value and is a distinct novelty and I wish to claim the same herein broadly, resulting in a full fiteil-ichangeability-of a sub-division of the Important features and advantages con-- sist in the arrangement of a plurality. of

small voids adjacent the outer wall facesof.

the block, ha the combination of such at the wall faces insuring a V and from a plurali stantially broad mortar bed spanning the small voidscovering at least two vcrtical'webs for strength, and ample mortar course; providing the fracturable co ections 'ofiset at one ormore points and preferably disalined on the interior lines" of fracture from the adjacent webs' forming a plurality of bracmg cross members connectingthe outer wall face with its next adjacent reinforcing web, and thus still further insuring strength in ghe wall and a broad mortar retaining surace tainof the fracturable wall connections remote from certain of the corners in a sub divided portion of the unit, and also positioning the fracturable connections adjacent reinforced portions of the sub-divisions to insure breakingat the predetermined point,

at all times the usability of every portion broken and thus eliminatin 'all waste, the

portions fractured being emselves of so slight an extent asto be readily buried in orabsorbed by the normal mortar course, while adding strength to its adjacent portlon. I

Furthermore, my block, when sub-divided into. smaller units, as for building around doors, -windows, corners, piers, admitting cross-beams, etc., is at once re-assembleable of sub-divisions into suba unitary block structure, with practically the same'strength as the original unit before sub-division.

The resulting wall structure enables the strength of the combined airs of webs adjacent-veach wall face to utilized'to the fullest extent, by the use of relatively. road mortar courses covering at least, two'of the Webs, and a small void, space or spaces along the outer .together with a positioning of cer-' light yetand strengt ened 8 s to ,while preserving a load and withv tar course. Preferably also Imay formmy are preferably positioned in the outer wall building unit of a size to substantially simuface, or in parallelism to receive the comparlate standard brick, so that the hollow wall atively broad mortar beds 20, 20, the mortar structure will interlock with solid brick of readily spanning the small voids 4; and sim- 5 corresponding thickness, where desired, at ply keying in same, while thus covering corners, piers, or floor levels where it may be the two adjacent webs 2 and 3. The block 1 desirable to stop the air spaces by a solid is preferably of suitable area to span the layer. width of the wall, as shown, and a half block Further features of the invention, details, 21, as illustrated in Fig. 3 and at the corner 10 novel combinations and advantages, will be of the top course shown in Fig. 1, can be hereinafter more fully pointed out and readily fractured and built in with the wall claimed. to stagger joints on the full blocks- Referring to the drawings, illustrating a While-I preferably utilize separated morpreferred embodiment of my invention, tar beds-as shown at the right in Fig. 1'

15 Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of a to provide moistureproofness, the large air wall structure; spaces 10 thus interrupting each horizontal Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the block mortar course, yet I may equally advantashown in Fig. 1, with a quarter broken away; geously employ a practically solid mortar bed Fig. 3 illustrating a block with a half as shown at 22, at the-left of Fig. 1. Thus,

20 broken where greater strength is desired, or where Fig. 4: illustrates a quarter sub-division half blocks or quarter sections may be emwhich is still useful as a building unit; ployed, it is sometimes desirable to increase Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a large the mortar bed, in which case the entire web tile, either of cubical or longer form; strength of the wall structure is utilized by 25 As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, this block mortar coverings, leaving only the hollow in- 40 web 3, with a small'void 4 therebetween'. construction is shown.

or building unit gives capacity for ready terior air openings 10. Thus the small voids and interchangeable fracture in either crossin the wall faces or between the double webs diameter. The block or unit, therefore, is of the wall face are sealed at the mortar made up in original form, with practically course, whereas the large voids 10 are pref- 30 four equal quarter sections, united by fracerably open throughout the height of a story turable connections. Each quarter section or of. the wall. Insulating material, piping,

also has preferably each outer face made of wiring, etc., may beconducted through any two webs with a relatively small void thereof these air spaces, thereby adding the pa between, thus giving capacity for broad morvision of a cold proof, heat proof and mois- 35 tar bed, which would cover both webs and ture proof wall structure. Furthermore, the span the relatively small void therebetween, addition of the webs 6, laterally of the wall, Designating this block generally as 1, it is add greatl to the strength and load-capacity formed with the outer faces of each uarter of the wall Y comprising the face 2 and parallel a jacent As illustrated in Fig. 5, a slightly modified Along theadjacent front face 2 is a wall 5 In Fig. 5 I have illustrated the present in each "section having a parallel adjacent type of building block with the double wall web 6, with asmall void 7 therebetween, and or web structure on two faces only of the with the interior webs 8 and 9, constituting block. This block 30 is thereby provided 45 one wall of the interior air 'of cross-webs with double webs 31 and 32 on two of the through which the bloc is broken into faces, and the single walls 33 on the other halves or quarters. Thus the webs 3, 6,8 faces, the interior pairs of cross-webs 34 and and 9 of each quarter enclose a relativel 35, respectively, constituting the pairs large opening or void 10. The entire bloc through which the-small fracturable connec-= 50 is thus composed of fracturable quarters 'tions 36, and the webs 34 and 35 formingthe along the lines of the double interior croSssmall void 37, unite the block. Additional webs-8 and 9, being connected at the center reinforcing webs 38 are provided ad'acent by one or more fracturable connections 11, the interior cross-webs 34,'to provi e inpreferably offset from the webs 8,- and the creased strength, broader mortar beds and cross-webs 9 being connected at or near the the like advantages. Further bracing crossfaces '5 by fracturable' connections, prefer- .webs 39 are provided between the webs 31- ably offset as illustrated at 12, thus permitand 32 to give increased strength and load-- ting the formation of kerfs 16 having smooth resistance to the block. The use of this predetermined corners formed thereon. It block 30 may be interchangeabl employed W will be readily appreciated that this .form either with the voids horizonta ynpr with embodies the advantages of the double pairs oally, and is of course readily cturable of interior cross-webs,'giving relatively long into halves, quarters, or threesquarter secfracturable voids as designated at 13 and 14. tions.

When built into a wall structure ,as shown In the forms herein illustrated,.I employ so in Fig. 1, the doub e web portions 2, and}! the feature of double interior pairs of cross- 1:0

webs, with fracturable connections therebetween, thus resulting in the sub-division of usable building members from the entire unit or block. Furthermore, with the building unit thus sub=divided-where deslred at beams, windows, piers, walls, or around pipes or the like, I prevent'all waste by utilizing the resultant sections, and even when thus sub-divided, the sections broken can be repositioned in the wall with perfect facility and interlocking where desired. The small fracturable connections 11; 12, 43, etc, are of such slight extent that they Will be readily buried within and covered by the 'ad'acent mortar joint permitting use of t e half and quarter sections interchangeably, horizontally or vertically, so far as the voids are concerned. All the different forms of blocks may be of any appropriate size or dimension, and of cubical-or rectangular, extent, capable of being made in an economical die machine and wire cut to length. In fact the wire cutting cross-wise of the line of travel of the column of clay material is 'a desirable feature, as such wire cutting will usually partially close the small voids in the Wall faces, thereby preventing mortar from falling thereinother than slightly extending downwardly to key the walls and hence affording the united extent of a broad mortar base of both webs and. the area of the small voids. -The blocks are used interchangeably, interlock completely, and fracture into subdivisions easily.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims as follows:

1. A rectangular hollow building block' or tile, comprisin double outer walls on each side, a pair 0 longitudinally extending interior webs terminatlng at opposite faces of the block in kerfs. formed by offset transverse webs connecting said longitudinal webs near their outer ends, a plurality of pairs of transverse webs extending from opposite double walls and abutting against said longitudinal webs, and a pair of webs connecting said longitudinal webs adjacent to but offset from said pairs of transverse webs.

2. A rectangularhollow building block or tile, comprising double outer walls on each side, said block being divisible along distinct lines of fracture into four separable building units, each unit having two double walls and two single walls, and each unit being joined to an adjacent unit by a pluralityof fracturable transverse webs.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE 1). REAGAN. 4 

